By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette
Farmageddon chatter
No. 22 Iowa State and No. 17 Kansas State did battle on the gridiron in Ireland over the weekend with the Cyclones coming out on top, 24-21, in the Aer Lingus Classic in Dublin. For those of you who did not watch the game, there were multiple lead changes, fumbles galore and an incredible finish, cementing another classic in the ISU vs. KSU rivalry that has become known as Farmageddon.
These two teams have the longest continuous NCAA college football rivalry in the country with the two teams having played each other every year since 1917. This, however, is soon to change. With the Big 12 expansion, only four rivalries in the conference were protected: Kansas vs. Kansas State, TCU vs. Baylor, Arizona vs. Arizona State, and Utah vs. BYU. Four of these teams weren’t even in the Big 12 a few short years ago. Their rivalries are now protected, but one of the most notable in the sport is not. ISU and KSU will play again in 2026, but with how the current schedule is formatted, it will end by 2027.
Rumors flared over the weekend after Rece Davis, ESPN sports journalist and commentator, said on the ESPN College Gameday podcast that “the powers that be” are not big fans of the rivalry name. Who are these powers? According to several sources, the Big 12 and Kansas State denied the rumor. ISU football’s YouTube channel used the word in its recap video, but I was unable to find any direct denial from the Cyclones.
Rumors aside, this rivalry should continue to be played. I understand the difficulty in a 16-team league, but when you have the longest running rivalry in the country, don’t throw it away for Arizona vs. Arizona State. Not only that, but these games have been incredible to watch the past few seasons. The last four games were all decided by one score, including the 42-35 snow-covered thriller last year in Manhattan.
Gambling ads
On Aug. 1, I wrote about how the gambling industry has infiltrated sports to an annoying degree. My hunch, and the other sources I read for the column, were recently confirmed by a YahooSports.com article.
A study from the University of Bristol showed that a gambling ad was visible every 13 seconds during this year’s Stanley Cup Finals.
“Analyzing TV broadcasts of June’s Stanley Cup finals between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, researchers at the University of Bristol found an average of 3.5 marketing messages from betting firms every minute, with 4.7 gambling-related messages per minute in the most saturated game.”
The scholars, who shared their work in The Guardian, also looked at the recent NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, finding a far lower share of gambling ads, with .26 betting-related messages and logos per minute.”
Micah Parsons to the Packers
This news broke quite literally while I was writing this column. A close friend of mine texted me “Enjoy Parsons wowwww.” Yes, with that many Ws. The trade could certainly earn my beloved Green Bay Packers some extra Ws as well. While, yes, I add this bit at the end of this column selfishly, the contract in which now former Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher, Micah Parsons, signed to seal the deal is historic.
Parsons’ deal is four years, $188 million dollars. That comes out to $47 million per year. It will have $136 million in total guarantees, $120 million fully guaranteed, and $62 million in year one. Each of the guarantees are NFL records. The Packers sent the Cowboys two first-round picks and Kenny Clark. That’s not much for one of the best defensive players in the entire sport. What makes this trade even more fun? The Packers travel to Jerry World in Dallas on week four this season. Get ready for fireworks. Go, Pack, Go!
Reach out with comments, complaints, or story ideas to cyote@dmcityview.com.